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Explainer: what is gastroenteritis and why can’t I get rid of it?

We’ve all experienced the abdominal cramps and the urge to get to a toilet – quickly! When the stomach and intestinal tract become inflamed, our bodies respond with the sudden onset of diarrhoea, associated nausea and vomiting, abdominal cramping and pain.

Transmissible gastroenteritis is colourfully known as “Montezuma’s revenge”, “Delhi belly”, “stomach flu” and “viral gastro” but let’s use the term “infectious gastroenteritis”. This includes food poisoning, where bacterial toxins consumed in contaminated food rapidly cause symptoms.

Although infectious gastroenteritis usually resolves on its own, in some cases it can lead to severe consequences, chiefly through…

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Articles of Interest

There Is No Such Thing As The Stomach Flu

Usually caused by norovirus or rotavirus, the icky stomach illness has nothing to do with influenza, a severe upper respiratory infection caused by one of three classes of influenza virus. But that doesn’t prevent the viral spread of misinformation blurring the two distinct types of maladies together; a fallacy thought to have originated because children with influenza often regurgitate excess mucus.

Do You Have a Stomach Bug, or Was It That Chicken Salad?

Have you been hit by a stomach virus? Or maybe it was food poisoning? It's good to know which it is, so you know whether or not you are contagious or if other people shouldn't eat the mystery meat in your fridge.

Gastroenteritis Deaths, Foodborne Outbreaks Increase

The number of people who are dying from illnesses that involve vomiting and diarrhea more than doubled between 1999 and 2007, and most of the increase was due to Clostridium difficile.

Gastroenteritis Mimics: What should the emergency physician consider?

There are many mimics of gastroenteritis.... An episode of gastroenteritis often presents with watery diarrhea and vomiting attributable to inflammation of the digestive tract. Lack of appetite, nausea, malaise, and myalgias are associated symptoms. Diarrhea may be bloody or filled with mucus. Abdominal pain may be present and described as diffuse, poorly localized, associated with cramping without peritoneal signs.

Health Check: how long are you contagious with gastro?

There’s no way you’d want to go to work when you’ve got the telltale signs of gastro: nausea, abdominal cramps, vomiting and diarrhoea. But what about when you’re feeling a bit better? When is it safe to be around colleagues, or send your kids to school or daycare? The health department recommends staying home from work or school for a minimum of 24 hours after you last vomited or had diarrhoea. But the question of how long someone is contagious after recovering from gastro is a very different question.

How Pedialyte got Pedialit

Inside Pedialyte’s journey from toddler flu remedy to hangover fix.

How to Prevent Nasty Stomach Bugs This Winter? More Bleach

It can survive on surfaces for days, is tricky to kill, and is the source of most stomach bugs in America. It’s norovirus, and we’re headed into prime season. Here’s how to beat it.

Norovirus gives 699 million people diarrhea every year. No one talks about it.

Until advances are made in better understanding the virus, a vaccine will remain elusive. But first, the authors urged, we need to get more serious about the threat of norovirus and invest more in solutions.

Swimming Can Be Infectious - How to Stay Healthy

For many, there is nothing quite like escaping the usual trials of daily activities and becoming one with the water. Unfortunately, the escape comes with its own challenges, namely that of infections

The Beach Is Great for Sun, Surf and...Germs

The small strip of soil between the water and the mainland has continually been a focus of public health as the risk to humans from the environment doubles. The threats not only come from the water, which is associated with gastrointestinal and skin diseases, but they also can come from the land itself from disease-carrying insects such as sand flies and fleas.

What to Blame for Your Stomach Bug? Not Always the Last Thing You Ate

Most food-borne illnesses are caused by viruses or bacteria, such as norovirus, Staphylococcus aureus, campylobacter, salmonella, E. coli and Bacillus cereus.

What To Eat When You Have Gastro

Gastro isn't something we like to talk about -- or experience, for that matter. The common infection can wipe us out for days, making eating, drinking or doing anything other than resting (or sitting by the toilet) a hard task. Along with diarrhoea, vomiting, stomach cramps and fever, gastroenteritis can result in dehydration, which can be dangerous if not treated. If you have gastro, follow these steps to help recovery.

Resources

eMedicineHealth

The term stomach flu presumes a viral infection, even though there may be other causes of infection. Viral infections are the most common cause of gastroenteritis; but bacteria, parasites, and food-borne illnesses (such as from shellfish that has been contaminated by sewage or from consuming raw or undercooked shellfish from contaminated water) can also be the offending agents. Many people who experience vomiting and diarrhea that develops from these types of infections or irritations think they have "food poisoning," when they actually may have a food-borne illness.

MedlinePlus

Have you ever had the "stomach flu?" What you probably had was gastroenteritis - not a type of flu at all. Gastroenteritis is an inflammation of the lining of the intestines caused by a virus, bacteria or parasites. Viral gastroenteritis is the second most common illness in the U.S. The cause is often a norovirus infection. It spreads through contaminated food or water, and contact with an infected person. The best prevention is frequent hand washing.

NHS

Gastroenteritis is a common condition where the stomach and intestines become inflamed. It is usually caused by a viral or bacterial infection.

Patient

tummy upset for a day or two with mild diarrhoea, to severe diarrhoea and being sick (vomiting) for several days or longer. Many germs (viruses, bacteria and other microbes) can cause gastroenteritis. A virus is the most common cause of gastroenteritis.